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1.中国古代四大发明(theFourGreatInventions)—造纸术、火药、印刷术、指南针对全世界产生了巨大而深远的影响。纸张的发明大大促进了文明的传播与发展。火药的发明非常偶然，炼丹师(alchemist)在制作长生不老药(elixir)的时候偶然制成了火药。唐代末期，火药被用于战争，13世纪时传到了全世界。在唐代印刷术的基础上，北宋毕昇发明了活字印刷术(movable-typeprinting),开启了印刷史上的伟大革命。中国古人利用天然磁石制成了第一台可以辨别方向的指南针，大大增强了船只的远航能力。Papermaking,gunpowder,printingandcompassaretheFourGreatInventionsofancientChinathathaveexertedagreatandfar-reachingimpactontheentireworld.Theinventionofpapergreatlycontributedtothespreadanddevelopmentofcivilization.Thebirthofgunpowderwasquiteaccidental.Itwasinventedinadvertentlybyalchemistswhileattemptingtomakeanelixir.AttheendoftheTangDynasty,gunpowderwasusedinmilitaryaffairs,andwasspreadtoallovertheworldinthe13thcentury.OnthebasisofprintingintheTangDynasty,BiShengintheNorthernSongDynastyinventedthemovable-typeprinting,whichlauchedagreatrevolutioninthehistoryofprinting.Naturalmagnetsweremadeintothefirstdirection-findingcompassbyancientChinesepeople,whichgreatlyimprovedaship'sabilitytonavigateoverlongdistances.2.秦始皇(EmperorQinShiHuang)统一各国后，修复、连接并扩展了先前各国修建的城墙，将其建成巨大的军事防御工程，东起辽东半岛(LiaodongPeninsula),西至临洮。这就是举世闻名的万里长城。长城是世界一大奇迹，由数百关隘(pass)、堡垒(fortress)、塔楼和城墙构成。每隔一定距离，就建一个烽火台，敌人接近时，发出警报。位于北京的八达岭长城、慕田峪长城和司马台长城都建于明朝时期。如今，长城每年都吸引着众多国内外游客前来参观。它不仅是艺术非凡的文物古迹，同时也是中华人民伟大力量与智慧的结晶。AfterEmperorQinShiHuangunitedtheseparatestates,herestored,linkedupandextendedthecitywallsbuiltbytheformerstatesintohugemilitarydefensiveworkswhichstartedfromtheLiaodongPeninsulaintheeastandendedatLintaointhewest.Thisistheworld-famousGreatWall.Itisoneoftheimportantwondersoftheworld,consistingofhundredsofpasses，fortresses,towersandwalls.Beacontowersarebuiltatcertainintervalstogivethealarmifenemiesapproach.ThepartsoftheGreatWallsituatedatBadaling,MutianyuandSimataiinBeijingwereallconstructedduringtheMingDynasty.Nowadays,theGreatWallattractsagreatmanytouristsfromhomeandabroadeachyear.ItisanartisticallyextraordinaryculturalrelicandhistoricsiteaswellasthecrysalisationofChinesepeople'sgreatstrengthandwisdom.3.《清明上河图》(RiversideSceneonTomb-SweepingDay)为北宋末年，南宋初年的画家张择端所绘，展现了清明时分北宋都城东京汴河(BianheRiver)两岸的景象。全画分为三部分:第一部分描绘晨光下的景象，郊外岸边缓缓行进的驮队;第二部分描绘汴河桥一片繁忙的景象;第三部分描绘市区街道上的景象，商人来来往往。整幅画卷宽24.8厘米，长528.7厘米，描绘的人物约500多个，动物50多个，树木约170多棵。这幅出色的绘画作品使我们更好地了解当时北宋都城的生活RiversideSceneonTomb-SweepingDaywaspaintedbyZhangZeduan，apainterlivedinthelateNorthernSongDynastyandearlySouthernSongDynasty.ItdepictsscenesalongtheBianheRiverinDongjing，thecapitalcityoftheNorthernSongDynastyontheTomb-SwecpingDay.Thepaintingisdividedintothreeparts.Thefirstpartdcpictsateamofpackanimalswalkingslowlyalongtheriverbankinthesuburbsinthemorninglight;thesecondpartportraysthebustlingscenearoundtheBianhebridgeovertheriver;thethirdpartshowsthedowntownstreets,crowdedwithpeopledoingbusiness.Thewholescrollis24.8centimeterswideand528.7centimeterslong,andhasapproximatelymorethan500people,over50animals,and170treesdepictedonit.ThiswonderfulpaintingmakesusstudybetterthelifeofpeopleatthattimeintheNorthernSongcapitalcity.4.明朝(theMingDynasty)初期,中国是世界上最发达的国家之一。为了弘扬国力、加强与其他各国的联系,明成祖多次派遣郑和出使西洋。1405年,郑和开始了第一次航行。他的舰队由200多艘船构成,所载人数超过2万人,包括水手、军人、技术人员、译员等,还有大量黄金和丝绸,用于交易和作为礼品。往返用了两年时间。郑和出使的一些国家随船派遣使者(envoy),并带来向明朝进贡的贡品(tribute)。郑和下西洋是世界航海史上的一大壮举(feat)。今天,东南亚仍有很多纪念郑和的建筑。IntheearlyMingDynasty,Chinawasoneofthemostdevelopedcountriesintheworld.Inordertotransmititsnationalpowerandstrengthencontactswithothercountries,EmperorChengzusentZhengHetotheWesternOceanmanytimes.In1405,ZhengHeembarkedonhisfirstvoyage.Hisfleetwascomposedofmorethan200shipsandcarriedover20,000men,includingsailors,soldiers,technicalpersonnel,interpretersetc.,andlargeamountsofgoldandsilktobeusedfortradeandasgifts.Theroundtriptooktwoyears.SomeofthecountriesZhengHevisiteddispatchedenvoysbearingtributestotheMingcourtonhisships.ZhengHe'svoyageswereagreatfeatintheworld'snavigationhistory.Today,therearestillmanybuildingsinSoutheastAsiadedicatedtohismemory.5.一想到中国，人们脑海中闪现的第一件事便是丝绸。中国是丝绸的发源地，今天仍在生产一些世界上最好的丝绸。在中国，探索丝绸奥妙最好的地方是苏州。正是在那里，诞生了第一批丝绣(silkembroidery)，如今苏州仍在生产中国最好的丝绸。丝绸可以用合成纤维(syntheticfibre)和人造纤维等制成，但最优质的丝绸是由桑蚕丝(mulberrysilk)制成的。桑蚕(silkworm)纯粹以桑叶喂食。苏州丝绸可以制成很多产品，最常见的是衣服和围巾，但也能做成鞋、餐巾、玩具，甚至风筝。WhenpeoplethinkofChina,silkisthefirstthingthatpopsintotheirmind.Chinaisthebirthplaceofsilk,andstillproducessomeofthefinestsilkintheworld.InChina,thebestplacetodiscoverthewonderofsilkisthecityofSuzhou.Itwastherethatsomeofthefirstsilkembroiderieswereborn,andSuzhouisstillproducingthebestsilksinChina.Silkcanbeproducedfromsyntheticfibreandartificialfibre,etc.,butthefinestqualitysilkismadefrommulberrysilk.Thesilkwormsarefedpurelyonmulberryleaves.SuzhouSilkcanbemadeintoagreatmanyproducts,themostcommonlybeingclothingandscarves,anditcanbemadeintoshoes,napkin,toys,andevenkitesaswell.6.尽管中国古代神话(mythology)没有十分完整的情节，神话人物也没有系统的家谱(genealogy)，但它们却有着鲜明的东方文化特色，其中尤为显著的是它的尚德精神(thespiritofesteemingvirtue)。这种尚德精神在与西方神话特别是希腊神话比较时，显得更加突出。在西方神话尤其是希腊神话中，对神的褒贬标准多以智慧、力量为准则，而中国古代神话对神的褒贬则多以道德为准绳。这种思维方式深植于中国的文化之中。几千年来，这种尚德精神影响着人们对历史人物的品评与现实人物的期望。AlthoughancientChinesemythologydoesnothaverelativelycompleteplotandmythologicalfiguresdon'thavesystematicgenea